Design is an investment in innovative thinking, positioning, branding
and communication that creates value for businesses in terms of
competitive advantage, customer trust and loyalty, and market share.

Designers welcome the challenges of designing within constraints;
sensitivity to the environmental, economic, social and cultural
implications of design is central to the professional designer’s ethical
commitment.

Designers
bring empathy and creativity to social challenges. Empathy helps in
understanding the human-centered solutions that can make a real difference in real
people’s lives; creativity can defeat habits with innovative approaches to
making a measurable difference.

Design can strengthen democracy by building trust in the communication
between government and the governed. Trust emerges from understanding;
design is a critical intermediary in making the complex clear and
enhancing understanding.

Why Design

External Resources

Fab Founder On 5 Ways To Navigate Design Politics | Co.Design
Once upon a time I worked with a design team. Actually, that’s not true. I’ve worked with a myriad of design teams during my career. Over and over. And merchant teams. And editorial teams. And there is this thing that always exists. Contempt. Contempt for others who don’t understand design. Or trend. Or editorial voice. (I have a design degree. I feel your pain. But get over yourself. Really.)
www.fastcodesign…

Cheat sheet: Understanding the role of design in startups | Google Ventures
We are entering a golden era of software product design. Advances in software engineering allow us to create new products faster than ever, so we rely on design to differentiate products and make them useful, understandable, and desirable. But what is design?
www.gv.com/lib/c…

How Apple Went from Underdog to Cult in Six Design and Innovation Strategies from the Early Days | Brain Pickings
In 1982, Apple hired German-American industrial designer and inventor Hartmut Esslinger to overhaul the company’s design strategy. He created the Snow White design language, which would come to define Apple, and turned the Silicon Valley underdog not only into a global force of design and innovation, but also into a singular culture—an aesthetic cult, even.
www.brainpicking…

5 Tips to Getting Hired by Design | Design Thinking
Design thinking doesn’t just apply to creating memorable products, services, or experiences; it can also help you land a job you love. Some human-centered advice for job seekers trying to launch successful creative careers....
designthinking.i…

External Resources (cont.)

Use ‘design thinking’ to reach customers | Washingtonpost.com
For better than a decade, managers have been taught that focusing on the customer provides a sure path to success. But what do you do when you hit a plateau, chasing ever smaller niches with ever expanding offerings that yield less and less?
www.washingtonpo…

Why Motivating Others Starts With Using The Right Language | 99U
The team members gathered for their weekly standup at the New York-based technology startup. There had been misconnects the previous week with the email marketing team and the design team resulting in an inconsistent message that didn’t showcase some of the best offers the group had worked to secure. “They just had a different agenda than we did,” said one team member.
99u.com/articles…

This is How Facebook Decides Who to Hire
For a designer trying to break into the tech industry, working at Facebook may be a dream come true. Julie Zhuo, director of product design at Facebook, revealed how the company hand-picks its team of designers.
www.businessinsi…

Letter to a Junior Designer: An A List Apart Column
I admit it: you intimidate me. Your work is vivid and imaginative, far superior to my woeful scratchings at a similar age. The things I struggle to learn barely make you sweat. One day, you’ll be a better designer than me.
alistapart.com/c…

Design Matters: Debbie Millman and Scott Lerman
On this episode of Design Matters with Debbie Millman, Debbie talks to Scott Lerman about his long career leading brand consultancies, about his new step-by-step book about brand strategy and about how consumer research can limit innovative thinking.
observermedia.de…